Looking for a new snare.

[Bubba po]

Did it, baby!

Here she is:

For some reason, the price went up right after I ordered it. I'm paying $399, not $442 or whatever it says. Brand new in a box. Fuck I can't wait.

Ludwig Supraphonic Snare Drum 6 5"x14" LM402 Alloy Shell 641064260063 | eBay

RAMI, that's ridiculously cheap! It costs the equivalent of $700 to buy one over here, and the Black Beauty is closer to $1000

 

[RAMI]

Great choice! I have probably a dozen snare drums, most dont see the light of day for months or years.

Supra Black Beauty is my go to snare. Friends that are drummers borrow it from time to time for a live show.

Awesome. I almost bought a Black Magic, which is like a student version of the Black beauty. But I read that they're made in China a little cheaper, not one piece shell, etc....No matter what I was tempted to buy, I knew I'd always regret not having the "can't go wrong" snare, which is the Supra. Getting a 6.5" really clinched it for me.

RAMI, that's ridiculously cheap! It costs the equivalent of $700 to buy one over here, and the Black Beauty is closer to $1000

Yeah, here too. They're like $649 here. Even this deal isn't as good as it seems, but still worth it. With the exchange rate, shipping, etc...it came put to about $550 for me.

 

[fuzzsniffvoyage]

I was thinking of building a acoustic drum set one piece at a time as I could afford it, starting with the Supraphonic.

But after recording with an electronic kit.....I'm getting an electronic kit. I know, it's kind of like cheating but what the hell.

 

[Bubba po]

No matter what I was tempted to buy, I knew I'd always regret not having the "can't go wrong" snare, which is the Supra. Getting a 6.5" really clinched it for me.

This is so true. You can have a hundred opinions from people saying this thing is just as good or better than the original. But when you buy their recommendation, you haven't bought the thing that you wanted!

Now, I don't idolise electric guitars. To me, there are a few characteristic sounds from the classic electric guitars, but are they so different? The amp, the pedals, the players... they have so much more of an effect, the brand is not even worth consideration. It's just cork-sniffing. Swapping pickups out for the exact same style of pickup? Just a waste of money. But if I wanted to buy a Les Paul (which I don't), would I be happy with a PRS, or an LTD? No, I wouldn't. If I want to buy a mic to record electric guitar, will I be happy if I don't get an SM57? No I won't. Tried, tested and approved, that's the bottom line.

 

[Greg_L]

This is so true. You can have a hundred opinions from people saying this thing is just as good or better than the original. But when you buy their recommendation, you haven't bought the thing that you wanted!

Now, I don't idolise electric guitars. To me, there are a few characteristic sounds from the classic electric guitars, but are they so different? The amp, the pedals, the players... they have so much more of an effect, the brand is not even worth consideration. It's just cork-sniffing. Swapping pickups out for the exact same style of pickup? Just a waste of money. But if I wanted to buy a Les Paul (which I don't), would I be happy with a PRS, or an LTD? No, I wouldn't. If I want to buy a mic to record electric guitar, will I be happy if I don't get an SM57? No I won't. Tried, tested and approved, that's the bottom line.

You need a P-90 Les Paul Jr.

 

[Bubba po]

You need a P-90 Les Paul Jr.

I'm not even sure what tone that represents, Greg. I have an excellent Strat, a '96 USA Tele (for my Clash and Stranglers stuff) a homebuilt SG based on a Yamaha SG 1000 and a Jag. I can't think of a style they can't cover that would like to do.

 

[Greg_L]

I'm not even sure what tone that represents, Greg. I have an excellent Strat, a '96 USA Tele (for my Clash and Stranglers stuff) a homebuilt SG based on a Yamaha SG 1000 and a Jag. I can't think of a style they can't cover that would like to do.

Mick Jones used a lot of P-90 LP Jr in the earl days of The Clash!

P-90s are like a cross between a single coil and a humbucker. Thicker than a single, not as fat and blubbery as a humbucker. Just right with a Marshall. Maybe the best pickups ever made.

 

[Bubba po]

Mick Jones used a lot of P-90 LP Jr in the earl days of The Clash!

P-90s are like a cross between a single coil and a humbucker. Thicker than a single, not as fat and blubbery as a humbucker. Just right with a Marshall. Maybe the best pickups ever made.

Well, it's one to watch. What about the Ahead brass snare?

 

[miroslav]

...the brand is not even worth consideration. It's just cork-sniffing.

That is true....but lots of people still buy only the big brand name.
Many will pay $3-4k for a real Gibson LP for instance, when there are probably countless other brand names that sound equally good at half the price or even less.

Granted...buying expensive big brand name items tends to keep the resale value up for the same...so I guess it allows you to also resell it expensive.

 

[Bubba po]

That is true....but lots of people still buy only the big brand name.
Many will pay $3-4k for a real Gibson LP for instance, when there are probably countless other brand names that sound equally good at half the price or even less.

Granted...buying expensive big brand name items tends to keep the resale value up for the same...so I guess it allows you to also resell it expensive.

Completely agree. But I would not pay more than £1000 for any guitar and I believe that £600 might be my actual limit. I doubt I'd pay more, not even if Debbie Harry, Kate Bush and Siouxsie Sioux had all rubbed their snatches on the neck. They are just a few pieces of wood with strings on.

 

[miroslav]

I doubt I'd pay more, not even if Debbie Harry, Kate Bush and Siouxsie Sioux had all rubbed their snatches on the neck. They are just a few pieces of wood with strings on.

The sniff factor on that wood might make it worth the extra cash.

Well...maybe back in their younger days.

 

[Greg_L]

Completely agree. But I would not pay more than £1000 for any guitar and I believe that £600 might be my actual limit. I doubt I'd pay more, not even if Debbie Harry, Kate Bush and Siouxsie Sioux had all rubbed their snatches on the neck. They are just a few pieces of wood with strings on.

Lol. Be that as it may, a P-90 LP Jr was a mainstay of our kind of music. I know you take pride on being accurate. A lot of our kind of guitar heroes used those guitars, and they aren't expensive.

 

[Bubba po]

Lol. Be that as it may, a P-90 LP Jr was a mainstay of our kind of music. I know you take pride on being accurate. A lot of our kind of guitar heroes used those guitars, and they aren't expensive.

Absolutely, I think the LPJ falls within my price bracket. I just like to voice my opinion that past a certain price point I don't believe spending more cash buys you a "better" guitar. Except for acoustics of course. You can get guitars with flashier bindings, wood grain to die for, etc. but I'm skeptical that it would be a better instrument.

 

[Greg_L]

Absolutely, I think the LPJ falls within my price bracket. I just like to voice my opinion that past a certain price point I don't believe spending more cash buys you a "better" guitar. Except for acoustics of course. You can get guitars with flashier bindings, wood grain to die for, etc. but I'm skeptical that it would be a better instrument.

Fancy cosmetics does nothing for a guitar's "goodness". But with those fancy cosmetics sometimes comes a better attention detail on other things like fret work, neck joints, neck profile, fretboard material, stuff like that that does actually make a guitar feel and play better. For me, I like neck binding, for example. It might seem like an unnecessary visual accent that does nothing, but I actually like the way it feels. I like the way it feels as my left hand flings powerchords all up and down the neck at breakneck speeds. Lol. A bound neck feels a lot better to me than a raw neck, so that's something that adds to cost but it makes for a better guitar for me. My raw no-frills SG special feels like a garage sale clunker compared to my fancier, better built Angus SG. Same basic guitar, but one is done way better than the other one. So some of that stuff can make a difference. Flame tops and all that shit is true rubbish though.

 

[David40]

Your best bet when purchasing any drums or cymbals is to try them out in person. For the snare, bring what ever equipment you may use besides your ears to tune your drums and a pair of fresh heads that you prefer. Then prioritize the possible drums you want to try out and go to work on each one to see what kind of sound you can get out of them. A tedious process but the only way to do it right and not have buyer's remorse. My favorite three snares are a vintage aluminum alloy Ludwig Super Sensitive, a vintage Rodgers Dynasonic, and one I got recently a TAMA StarPhonic 14 X 6 Maple. I used the Super Sensitive almost exclusively for over 40 years playing live professionally. The Super Sensitive and Dynasonic are two of only a few of snare drums available where you can adjust the tension of the snare wires independently from the pressure of the snares against the head, making them very versatile.
In studio I use two Roland TD-20 sets and one ddrum set combined into one massive set. I literally have access to hundreds of different snare drums sounds. Engineers love it because most often they can drop the drums right into the mix without having to do much of anything to it.
I don't play live anymore but if I did I would use the electronic drums and a dedicated PA system for them. This would provide a limitless pallet of sounds to choose from, which can be changed with each song at the push of a button.

 

[RAMI]

Your best bet when purchasing any drums or cymbals is to try them out in person. For the snare, bring what ever equipment you may use besides your ears to tune your drums and a pair of fresh heads that you prefer. Then prioritize the possible drums you want to try out and go to work on each one to see what kind of sound you can get out of them. A tedious process but the only way to do it right and not have buyer's remorse. My favorite three snares are a vintage aluminum alloy Ludwig Super Sensitive, a vintage Rodgers Dynasonic, and one I got recently a TAMA StarPhonic 14 X 6 Maple. I used the Super Sensitive almost exclusively for over 40 years playing live professionally. The Super Sensitive and Dynasonic are two of only a few of snare drums available where you can adjust the tension of the snare wires independently from the pressure of the snares against the head, making them very versatile.
In studio I use two Roland TD-20 sets and one ddrum set combined into one massive set. I literally have access to hundreds of different snare drums sounds. Engineers love it because most often they can drop the drums right into the mix without having to do much of anything to it.
I don't play live anymore but if I did I would use the electronic drums and a dedicated PA system for them. This would provide a limitless pallet of sounds to choose from, which can be changed with each song at the push of a button.

No offense, I respect your opinion. But I disagree with pretty much everything you just said. Trying something out in a store will give you a very vague idea of how it will sound in YOUR room with the skins you're going to put on them, the tuning you will do, and so many other things. I'm not saying don't go to the store and hit a drum. But it will really tell you very little about how it will sound as soon as you leave the room, change skins, etc....

And after all that, you tell us that you use fake drums in the studio? You totally lost me there. But like I said, to each their own.

 

[Greg_L]

No offense, I respect your opinion. But I disagree with pretty much everything you just said. Trying something out in a store will give you a very vague idea of how it will sound in YOUR room with the skins you're going to put on them, the tuning you will do, and so many other things. I'm not saying don't go to the store and hit a drum. But it will really tell you very little about how it will sound as soon as you leave the room, change skins, etc....

And after all that, you tell us that you use fake drums in the studio? You totally lost me there. But like I said, to each their own.

Lol. I thought the same thing, but I just let it go.

 

[RAMI]

Lol. I thought the same thing, but I just let it go.

I tried, but I couldn't. I did hold back and tried to be as polite as possible, though. How'd I do?

 

[Greg_L]

I tried, but I couldn't. I did hold back and tried to be as polite as possible, though. How'd I do?

I think you did great. I wanted to say something like "STFU idiot" but I didn't.

 

[RAMI]

I think you did great. I wanted to say something like "STFU idiot" but I didn't.

I would have forgiven you.

Oh wait, you him him? Right.